Naval association calls for more appreciation for veterans

At the 112th Congress of Representatives of the German Naval Association in Hamelin, around 200 delegates called on the German government to establish a Veterans' Day. In the years 2000 -2009 alone, around 112 soldiers died and 72,381 were injured in the line of duty.

Soldiers serve the Federal Republic of Germany faithfully. They bravely defend the law and freedom of the German people and, as the figures cited show, often at the cost of their physical integrity or even their lives. Soldiers have a special relationship of loyalty to our state and are exposed to increasing burdens and dangers. For this reason, service in the armed forces should be recognised and valued to a special degree.

The German Naval Association believes that an annual Veterans' Day can further this cause.

The German Naval Association is not alone in its decision, but is acting in concert with the German Armed Forces Association and the German Reservists Association.

Background

The Marine-Offizier-Vereinigung e.V. as owner and the Deutsche-Maritime-Institut e.V. as publisher of the magazine marineforum and the online portal marineforum.online co-operate very closely with the Deutscher Marinebund e.V.. They share congruent goals and values and support each other in many areas, although they differ in terms of origin and number of members. It is therefore important to us to share this appeal from the DMB, which we also support, on our platform.

With around 10,000 members in around 270 member associations, the German Marine Federation is the largest maritime interest organisation in Germany. The DMB provides a forum for all people connected with the sea and seafaring. It is aimed at anyone who is enthusiastic about ships and seafaring or interested in topics such as marine environmental protection or the maritime economy. In close co-operation with the navy and merchant shipping, the DMB also promotes all areas of German seafaring and provides information throughout Germany about the importance and necessity of seafaring for the Federal Republic. The DMB participates in the discussion of current maritime issues in a neutral party-political manner and is the point of contact for maritime decision-makers in our society.